February 03, 2005
Reforming the Labor Movement
If you have been paying any attention at all to developments in the Labor Movement, you are aware of Andy Stern's bold moves to transform its structure. I recommend reading My DD first and then linking to Bai's excellent article from there.
The New Emerging Blank
by Chris Bowers
Last Friday I was able to talk to Andy Stern for about twenty-five minutes. Over the past few months, I have talked over the phone with a lot of high-powered people, but I was never nervous until I talked to Stern. In the labor movement, there is quite a bit of mythology surrounding Stern, and this section of Matt Bai's recent piece on him may help shed some light on my feelings for those who are unfamiliar:
In some respects, the S.E.I.U. now feels very much like a Fortune 500 company. In the lobby of its headquarters, a flat-screen TV plays an endless video of smiling members along with inspirational quotes from Stern, as if he were Jack Welch or Bill Gates. The union sold more than $1 million worth of purple merchandise through its gift catalog last year, including watches, sports bras, temporary tattoos and its very own line of jeans. (The catalog itself features poetry from members and their children paying tribute to the union, along with recipes like Andy Stern's Chocolate Cake With Peanut-Butter Frosting.) Click to read in its entirety
Posted by Melissa at February 3, 2005 08:48 PM